


Peripheral

by cynical21



Category: Original Work
Genre: Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 19:05:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2632838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynical21/pseuds/cynical21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A view from the shadows</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peripheral

Light bends, you know -  
Metaphorically, at least.  
Not always, of course, and not very much.  
Not even a single degree.  
But enough - just enough -  
To create a sliver of shadow, a pocket of unbeing,  
Thin as the razor's blade that carved it,  
A refuge against the relentless brilliance of focus.  
Or a prison cell,  
Depending on your perspective.  
Perspective.  
A simple, innocuous word  
Defining line of sight,  
Defining position relative to reality;  
Defining everything;  
Defining what is seen,  
Undefining everything else. 

It is not a matter of choice.  
One's eyes look upon what is there,  
What light ignites.  
One cannot choose not to see:  
One cannot choose not to be seen.

And yet - somehow - some find a way,  
And discover how cold the dark can be,  
Existing entirely on the fringe of awareness -  
Ghosts, without benefit of death preceding.  
The tragedy lies in knowing  
Or not knowing the difference.

It's not about losing.  
It's about never having;  
Tennyson got it right, after all. 

The end.


End file.
